Should we be faithful during sickness?

​​“My God, my God, why have You abandoned me?” “Why are You so far away when I groan for help?” Psalm 22 vs. 1-2. 

In times of peril, distress, pain and sickness we sometimes question our faith in God, we doubt our relationship with Him, we become uncertain of His plans for us, we become weary, frustrated, angry and disheartened. ​

​When the reality of our infirmity becomes vivid to us, our first thoughts are 

‘Why me’ and ‘what do I do now?’

​Sickness, like all things derived from sin, causes us to lose our faith and trust in God and to instead revert to fleshly thinking.  We wonder why would God allow me to become ill. Doesn’t He love me, has He forsaken me? Why should I be faithful when He has abandoned me? 

All these thoughts and negative emotions are stirred within us and we look for a human solution to ease the pain and to live in denial for a while longer. 

via GIPHY

In our time of despair we turn to medical personnel, we turn to our friends, we turn to our co-workers, we turn to the internet and sometimes a ‘spiritual healer’ and for some we do this to reject God for rejecting us and allowing us to become sick. ​​

​Our natural response to sickness is to either put on a façade to those around us of  prosperity, peace and joy and suffer in the silence whether that be within us or in private or to be expressive with those around us, seeking aid from the aidless. It is never to truly seek God first, to be honest nothing is wrong with feeling unhappy, saddened, and angry upon other emotions. 

​God does not expect us to become stoic but He expects us to have faith in Him and to trust Him, He expects us to believe that He will lead us through the darkness as He knows that as humans, sickness blinds us and sometimes leads us to a dark place of ungratefulness, complaining, depression among other negative emotions, but He does not expect us to give up on Him

Have we forgotten to apply? 

1 Peter 5:7 ‘cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you  

OR

Philippians 4 vs. 6-7 ‘do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God’ ​

Sickness does not define us, it is how we choose to react to it that defines who we are. ​

God allows us to endure sickness for various reasons many in which remains a mystery, one that we will never fully understand nonetheless we should never put our faith on the back burner as it is what sustains us during our period of affliction. 

It is through faith that Jerimiah, could say ‘Heal me, O lord, and I shall be healed, save me and I shall be saved, for you are my praise. ​

In psalms 103 vs. 2-3 “Bless the lord, o my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases”. 

Let us never lose our Faith in Christ for he has never lost his faith in us. ​

The article link below explains the reasons why God allows us to go through sickness and I hope it motivates you to hold on to your faith in Christ following James 5 vs. 14-16. ‘Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.’

Link: www.focusonthefamily.com/get-help/when-we-suffer-a-biblical-perspective-on-chronic-pain-and-illness/

​Keep on reading to learn more to help you be more like a jewel on God´s crown
¨ The LORD their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock. They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown.¨ Zechariah 9:16 NIV
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Author

Samantha Ellis